What Has Pope Leo XIV Been up to Lately?
(Remember: Enter the contest to win a copy of my booklet, “Walking with Mary Through Light and Darkness.” See the directions at the end of this blog. I hope you will take a chance!) Pope Leo XIV was elected Pope on May 8, 2025. I know exactly where I was when I heard that white […]
Praying with Our DNA
The subtitle of my blog “Sunflower Seeds” is this: “Celebrating Everyday Spirituality.” Today I’d like to suggest how even a rudimentary understanding of DNA can affect our everyday spirituality. More than that, it can influence the way we pray and our appreciation of our Creator God. (NOTE: I am no scientist. I welcome comments or […]
Three More Favorite Writers: Ekeh, Hendricks, and Kandra
As you know, I have many favorite writers. I’ve quoted multitudes of them in this blog. Today I’d like to tell you about three more: Amy Ekeh, Kathy Hendricks, and Greg Kandra. Amy Ekeh (pronounced Ay – kay, a Nigerian name of Igbo origin) is originally from Texas, currently living in Connecticut. She and her […]
How to Pray in 8 Easy and Hard-as-Heck Steps
When I use the word prayer, I mean talking to God. And listening to God. In other words, conversing with God. Years ago a friend came up with this definition of prayer which I like very much: Prayer is being with someone I love–and who loves me! With that in mind, here’s one way to […]
22 Quotations on Music–from Plato to Taylor Swift
I believe one of the greatest gifts in my life has been music. I thank my father for handing down to me his great love for classical music. I thank my mother for playing the piano and singing with her lovely alto voice–especially in church. I thank both parents for paying for my piano lessons […]
A Few Thoughts from My Annual Retreat
I made my annual retreat a few weeks ago during the first week of Advent. I told you I would share a little of my retreat experience with you. So, here are a few thoughts accompanied by some pictures I took of my indoor and outdoor surroundings. The setting. I made my retreat at “Marydale,” […]
The School-Crossing Guard at Christmas
(This reflection is an adaptation of a blog I posted on Dec. 22, 2014. For most of you, it will be new.) Every Christmas I recall a certain school-crossing guard I saw many years ago when I was ministering at the Jesuit novitiate in Detroit, Michigan. I never met her personally, but I saw her […]
Our Desperate Need for Awe
We live in an age marked by uncertainty, anxiety, violence, political divisiveness, loneliness, and fears of all kinds. We are not the first age to experience such things. During such times it is easy for us to slip into numbness or even despair. That’s why it is more important than ever to cultivate experiences of […]
Lessons I Learned from My Old Bank Book
I was going through one of my bulging files labeled “Blog Ideas” to get an idea for this reflection. In it, I found an old bank book of mine, the one I used from first to fifth grade at James A. Garfield School. That school, which included grades 1 through 6, was a fun place […]
Advent Reflection 2025
The season of Advent is all about time: the past, the present, and the future. Advent proclaims: Jesus came! Yes, he came over 2,000 years ago, born of a young Jewish woman named Mary in the small town of Bethehem. For about 33 years or so, he walked the dusty roads of Galilee in sandaled […]